IWC describes its Portofino collection as “the laid-back lifestyle of the Mediterranean and the very essence of understatement and good taste.” These watches have been around for more than three decades, loved by both men and women. If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant IWC model, this is it. The Portofino has a clean and classic look that one can wear with casual, business, or formal wear.
The first IWC Portofino watch—the Portofino Hand Would Moonphase—was released in 1984. Through the years, the brand has produced a number of versions of watches, all of which have the iconic design that’s simple but elegant.
IWC watches, however, can get very expensive. Made in Switzerland, these watches cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. If you want a similar look but don’t want to pay the hefty price tag, read on.
For this article, we’re doing the same thing that we did to our IWC Big Pilot alternatives feature. We’ll focus on watches that can be alternatives to the IWC Portofino (you can learn more about the brand and get an idea of its price points on Bob’s Watches site). Below, we’ll provide other watch brands and models that you can consider if you’re looking for an alternative—these are mostly more affordable models, but we’ll also include some luxury watches.
Best Affordable IWC Portofino Alternatives
Citizen Eco-Drive AR3073-06E
Japanese watch company Citizen has an excellent reputation (you can read our article about the brand here). If you’re looking for a trusted brand that has a similar aesthetic to the IWC Portofino, this Eco-Drive model is another good one to consider.
The Citizen Eco-Drive Men’s AR3073-06E is a 38mm watch with a stainless steel case and a croc-embossed leather bracelet and a black Guilloché dial. This model, which is off the brand’s Stiletto collection, has rose gold-tone hands and has a Japanese quartz movement
Powered by Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology, this sleek and thin watch is powered by any light, and will never need a battery.
Fossil Townsman Stainless Steel
🏆 #1 Best Overall
- Classic luxury design: The round watch with the dial extends the function of the anti-reflective sapphire glass dial. The exquisite metallic luster appearance makes this men's watch suitable for your various occasions
- Easy to adjust: scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, stainless steel case and bracelet are wear-resistant and the stainless steel bracelet is adjustable and comfortable to wear
- Accurate Time: NH36A automatic movement is based on the natural movement of the human arm to ensure accurate time without battery. (Automatic watches must be worn for at least 8 hours a day to maintain work performance.)
- Waterproof depth up to 100 m: It is very suitable for various business, leisure, indoor or daily activities, tolerates splashing water and sweating, but is not suitable for swimming or bathing and other underwater activities
- Packaging and Service: This exquisite self-winding mechanical watch comes in an exquisite box and is a great gift for father, husband, friend and business associate
American brand Fossil is known mostly for its leather goods, watches, and accessories but not many know that Fossil Group Inc has a wide portfolio of well-known brands like Skagen and Zodiac watches (we talked more about this in this article). Their watches, which have Japanese quartz movements, are affordable and fashionable so they are excellent alternatives to Swiss watches that cost thousands of dollars.
Portofino also has chronographs in its collection. Those who are looking for a similar style (big dial, clean and legible markers), one of the brands that you should consider is Fossil.
The Fossil Men Townsman Stainless Steel is a 44mm watch with a three-hand analog display with two chronograph dials. The strap is a genuine leather band, and the watch is water-resistant up to 50m.
Seiko Neo Classic Leather Watch SUR297P1
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Japanese brand Seiko is another trusted name when it comes to affordable and good quality quartz watches.
One of its models that has the same look as some IWC Portofino models (particularly the Portofino Automatic IW35650) is the Seiko Neo Classic Quartz watch, a 41mm model with similar featured: a white stainless steel case and markers that have a combination of index and Roman numerals (for the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock marks). Both watches also have a date window at 3 o’clock.
The Seiko Neo Classic has a scratch-resistant hardlex crystal and a fixed stainless steel bezel. The water resistance is up to 100m.
You can explore the brand further by reading our Seiko Watch Reviews or Brand Comparison articles (such as this one where Seiko is compared to Casio).
Tissot Heritage Visodate Automatic
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Rank #2
- Mens Wrist Watch: Features a classic big dial and quartz movement with stable quality. High hardness coated glass mirror is wear-resistant, scratch-proof, Butterfly double buckle ensures comfortable wear
- OLEVS Mens Watches: Unique Classic Design Analog Date Calendar Display Watch Window. Easy to Read, Classic Business Style, Stylish Casual Dress Watch, Stylish Gold Indexes and Round Case, finely designed, stand the test of time, handsome and outstanding
- Business Pointer Quartz Watch: Dial diameter is 1.6 inches (41 mm). Case thickness is 0.43 inches (11 mm), steel band width is 0.79 inches (20 mm), length is 8.66 inches (22 cm). The weight of the men's watch is 4.16 ounces (118 g)
- Fashion Gold Green Man Watch: Luminous Hands/Markers and Enlarged Date Window at Three o'clock, Stylish Watch with Roman Scale Bezel, Water Resistance Up to 30M: Usually, Suitable for Swimming, But not Suitable for Deep Diving
- Night-light Function：When Using the Luminous Pointer Function for the First Time, Please illuminate The Watch Under The Light for 30 Seconds to Activate the Luminous Function. Watch Chain Can Be Adjusted in Size
This watch by Swiss watchmaker Tissot is an homage to their innovations that go as far back to the 1950s, the period when the company integrated Visodate, a date function to their watches.
The Tissot Heritage Visodate watch has a stainless steel case and silver dial with the distinct domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Powered by a Swiss automatic movement, this has a power reserve of up to 38 hours. The brown leather strap has a butterfly clasp.
We’ve written a number of Tissot watches on our site, such as Best Tissot Watches for Men, Best Tissot Watches for Women, and brand comparisons like Orient vs. Tissot.
Melbourne Flinders
“Swiss heart. Australian soul.” This is how the Australian watch company Melbourne describes its watches. The company is relatively new—it launched in 2013 through crowdfunding—but has received many good reviews by experts and watch enthusiasts alike over the years.
The Melbourne Flinders Heritage Black, which is part of the brand’s first collection, has a similar look to Portofino watches because of the simplicity of the dial. Powered by a Swiss movement, this watch is comfortable and has a slim dial, allowing the watch to be easily slipped under a shirt cuff. This one’s a 40mm stainless steel case with applied steel indexes and a sapphire crystal, and a black leather strap (brown strap options are also available).
Melbourne watches are not available on Amazon, but you can purchase them on the brand’s official website. See the rest of the Flinders collection here.
Maurice Lacroix Eliros Date
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The IWC Portofino collection has a model with a mesh band—the Portofino Automatic IW356505.
If you’re looking for something similar that has a relatively more affordable price tag, there’s the Eliros Date watch by Swiss watchmaker Maurice Lacroix.
This 40mm watch also has a stainless steel bracelet (not mesh like the IWC version, but it does have a nine-layer stainless steel strap, which has a similar look). This watch runs on a Swiss quartz movement and has a water resistance of 50m.
Read more about Maurice Lacroix here.
Rank #3
- Band width: 12.7 millimeters
- Style: Classic
- Watch movement type: Quartz
- Case diameter: 44.15 millimeters
- Item shape: Round
Junghans Max Bill Automatic 38mm
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Junghans, a German watchmaker that has been around since 1961, is known for producing watches with a minimalist aesthetic (it was also featured in our article on Bauhaus Watches).
The Junghans Max Bill Automatic 38mm watch is a collaboration with renowned Bauhaus designer Max Bill, who is known for his neat aesthetic, with clean lines and markers. This model has a white dial and thin black index markers, with a black calfskin leather strap. The hour markers are luminescent, and there is a sweep seconds hand.
Made in Germany, this model is powered by a Swiss automatic movement caliber J800.1, with a power reserve of 38 hours. The water resistance is 30m.
Read more about the brand in our Junghans Watch Review article.
Oris Artelier Silver Dial
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Swiss watchmaker Oris is known for its high-quality mechanical watches. Their products are not cheap, but still relatively more affordable compared to IWC’s.
This Oris Artelier 40mm watch has a simple silver dial and index markers. It has a stainless steel case, luminescent hands, and a date window at 6 o’clock. This model is powered by an automatic movement, with 38 hours of power reserve.
Another notable feature of this watch is the domed sapphire top glass, which has an anti-reflective coating. This allows the wearer to have a clear view of the dial’s pattern.
Oris and IWC watches are compared often. You can learn more about both brands in this article that we have on our website, which places them side by side and discussing histories and important models.
Rank #4
- The PD-1645 is a representative model of Pagani Design's men's watches. The minimalist style makes it unique and attractive, and the dial is clean but contains the necessary calendar function, which is simple and practical and is the standard for the elite
- This watch is a unique model with a special textured dial that makes the wearer more noticeable. The striped gold and gem-set models in the gold color collection are representative of luxury, and of course the silver case with the blue dial is also a very classic style for watch enthusiasts to have in their collection
- This men's watch is perfect as a gift for your boyfriend or father, good performance and inexpensive, bearing the TMI NH35 movement of the watch is often not bad and the watch is also deeply waterproof. The case is made of 316L stainless steel and has a synthetic sapphire crystal, which makes it even more durable
- Each watch is individually inspected by us manually, quality can be guaranteed. It should be noted that automatic watches tend to run for a period of time, the time will be more accurate, should be smoother articulation between the gears
- Pagani is a watch brand with rigorous design. Our after-sales service is guaranteed. Our customer service is at your service 24 hours a day
Frederique Constant Manufacture Moonphase Watch
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This is another model for those looking for a moon phase feature. The Frederique Constant Manufacture Moonphase automatic watch has a rose gold-plated stainless steel case, a white dial with applied gold index markers, and an alligator strap.
The moon phase feature is at 6 o’clock. To learn more about how Frederique Constant makes its watches, specifically the Manufacture collection you can check out the brand’s official site.
We’ve also featured the brand on our site—learn more about its history and models by reading our Frederique Constant Watch Reviews.
Nomos Orion Neomatik 39 Men’s Automatic
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Another brand that has a minimalist and Bauhaus-inspired design is Nomos. This German brand produced manual-wound and automatic mechanical watches.
The IWC Portofino has a neat dial, which gives it a classic look that will match both casual and dress occasions. So does this model by this Nomos model: the Neomatik 39 Automatic watch. This is a silver-tone stainless steel model with a 38.5mm case, leather strap, and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
You can read more about the brand in our German Watch Brands article.
💰 Best Value
- Pagani Design: Pagani Design Men's Automatic Watch, Model PD1752, a symbol of precision engineering and style. Crafted by Pagani Design, this timepiece merges elegance with functionality
- Seagull ST16 automatic movement: Automatic winding powers the movement through the wearer's wrist movement, no manual winding required, can run for about 40 hours
- Water-Resistant : With a 100-meter water resistance rating, this watch is your perfect companion for daily wear and water-related activities. Dive into every moment without compromising style
- Stainless Steel strap: The solid stainless steel bracelet is heavier than other bracelets,The bracelets using the wire drawing process are more textured
- Functional Elegance: Featuring a 36mm case diameter, 20mm band width, and 13mm thickness, the PD1752 strikes a harmonious balance between form and function. Weighing 163g and with a band length of 220mm
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon 39mm
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The IWC Portofino collection includes models that have a moon phase feature, such as the Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 (IW459008). Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are not cheap, but if you’re looking for a similar design that’s about the same price or sometimes lower than other IWC models (one of the most expensive IWC Moon Phase models is around $37,000), you can consider this one.
The Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon watch is a 39mm watch with a date and moon phase display and runs on Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 925/1. This is a simple but elegant luxury watch that has an analog display, a silvered and sunray-brushed dial, and a black leather bracelet.